Sample Lesson Plan: Early Memories

Lead-up

Try to recall the first thing you can actually remember happening—not something you were told happened. Record the memory on paper; continue writing, letting the mind wander across time for five minutes. (Music, “Jupiter Symphony,” is helpful.)

Literature

“Knoxville, Tennessee,” by Nikki Giovanni. What senses are appealed to? How is Ms. Giovanni able to sound like a child? What is important to this child?
Autobiography of Malcolm X, pp. 1-2. Even before birth, Malcolm X
seemed
destined to live a life of drama and violence. What elements of drama are present in this short selection? What can we guess about this person by looking at the words (especially ver
bs) he has chosen to use?

A Mass for the Dead, pp. 26-27. The author presents himself as a
character in a story. Why is the incident so important to him? How does he give examples of cause-effect relationships?

To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, pp. 48-50. What gives Lorraine an
early
sense of her uniqueness? What makes you unique? In what ways are the memories of Lorraine and Nikki similar? Where do you wish a GIANT STEP would lead?

Writing

Select one of the memories from the list you worked on earlier. Expand it: give it a beginning, a middle, and an end. Feel free to invent details which would enrich the story. (The group could later discuss the criteria used in making choices: drama, happ
iness, tragedy, appeal to the senses, etc.)

Follow-up

Try to reconstruct the place of the memory you chose to write about. Can you see the place in your mind’s eye? Using paints, inks, crayons—any of our art materials—give a representation of the place. (The activity could be done in conjunction with an art
teacher. Group discussion could center around what was most important about the place: color, size, students’ feelings, etc. The representations should be displayed in the classroom.)